BREADS

CHEESY WHOLE WHEAT FRENCH BREAD

1 large loaf of French bread or whole wheat French bread

mozzarella CHEESE, part skim

1 medium onion

1/4 lb. BUTTER, melted

2 Tbs. poppy seed

Place a long loaf of French bread on aluminum foil, and cut into 2″ thick slices (do not cut through bottom crust). Into each cut, place a thin slice of mozzarella CHEESE. Chop onion and add to melted butter with poppy seed. Stir well, and spoon into the slices. Wrap bread in foil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350º F. Serve toasty hot with soup or pasta!

CHEESY GARLIC BISCUITS

2 cups biscuit mix

⅔ cup MILK

½ cup shredded CHEDDAR CHEESE

¼ cup BUTTER

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450º. Mix biscuit mix, milk, and cheese until a soft dough forms. Shape into balls and arrange on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Combine butter and garlic powder, and brush over biscuits as soon as they are removed from oven.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all-purpose, unsifted flour

⅓ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

⅓ tsp. baking soda

6 T. BUTTER

1 ¼ cup raisins

1 ½ to 2 tsp. caraway seed

2 eggs

1 ½ cup BUTTERMILK

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Stir in raisins and caraway seed. Beat eggs slightly; set aside 1 T. for topping. Combine remaining egg and buttermilk, stir into flour mixture until flour is moistened. Turn dough on well floured surface and knead 10 times. Shape dough into a ball; place in a greased 2 quart round pan. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross 4” long, ¼” deep in the center of the dough. Brush top with reserved egg. Bake at 350º for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Bake on pre-greased cookie sheet at 375°F degrees until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from sheet, glaze with confectioner’s icing (flavored with orange juice is nice) if desired or sprinkle with dots of butter and cinnamon sugar.

NOTE: if you have no buttermilk, you can substitute yogurt or sour cream one to one, or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar.

CHEESY CORNMEAL BISCUIT TWISTS

by Kaitlyn Coughenour, 2006 Dairy Princess

1½ cup flour

½ cup cornmeal

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

½ cup (1 stick) cold butter

In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, parsley, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse chunks, then toss in cheese with a fork. Gradually add milk, and stir with fork until just moistened. Gather dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 12 times. Roll out into an 8 X 10 rectangle. Cut lengthwise in 1 inch strips (a pizza cutter works great), then cut strips in half. Gently twist each strip and arrange on greased baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown.

BACON CHEDDAR SCONES

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold butter

1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

1/3 cup snipped fresh chives, or finely diced scallion tops

1/2 pound bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 1 cup)

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces. Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed. Add ¾ cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it’s crumbly and won’t hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add more cream until the dough comes together.
Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface. Pat the dough into a smooth 7″ disk about ¾” thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan. Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown. Bake the scones for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 large scones

Want to make scones now, freeze and bake later? Make scones up to the point they’re on the baking sheet, cut and ready to bake; don’t brush them with cream. Freeze, then remove from the sheet, and wrap airtight in a plastic bag. When you’re ready to bake, remove however many you want to bake from the freezer, place on a baking sheet, brush with cream, and bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Make mini-scones: Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a 5″ round. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven till golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes; or for about 25 minutes if frozen.

Combine all of the ingredients and mix until cohesive. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, until it’s smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. The dough will become fairly elastic, though it’ll still be quite soft and sticky. Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it’s quite puffy. Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and place in a lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan, or two 8″ or 9″ round pans. Cover the pan(s), and let the rolls rise until they’re touching each other and puffy, about 60 minutes. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 22 to 27 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven, and brush with melted butter, if desired, for a soft, flavorful crust.

CHEDDAR CHEESE CORN MUFFINS

by Taylor Bradley-Geiser, Tioga County Dairy Princess

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup sugar

2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

½ cup melted butter

¼ tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400° . Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, then add cheese and mix again. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, butter, and vanilla, then add to the dry mix and stir together till all is moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.